Portable platform for refrigerator cars



Dec. 9, 1952 H. o. MOLAIN ETAL 2,621,084

PORTABLE PLATFORM FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Filed July 3, 1947 INVENTORS.

' HZroZciO. c (2472 BY (Zleril Patented Dec. 9, 1952 UNITED STATES RATENT Q'FF ICE PORTABLE PLATFORM FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Harold O. McI2ain, Highland Park, and Albert L. Blatti, ollies-go, 111.; Ruby Catherine Blatt-i, executrix of said Albert L. Blat-ti, deceased, as-

"sigimr te said-Menain Application July's, 1947., SerialNo. 758,938

in the performance of his work.

Heretofore it has 'been the practice in the operation of icing refrigerator railway cars to ice the end bunkers or hoppers of the car from an extensive and longitudinally extending elevated platform or dock extending parallel to "and usual- 1y between a double line of refrigerator cars. This elevated platform or dock "is usually at an elevation or height substantially the height of or slightly elevated above the roofs or tops of the cars being iced. While the end'hopp'ers or bunkers of the cars are being iced "from the top of the dock, an operator below the dockis usually servicing or top icing from an ice crusher and slinger the center of the car through the open doors of thecar. lh operator in this instance usually stands on a ladder adjacent the opening in the car or on a runway stretched between the catwalk from the dock to the floor of the car where he is in either case exposed not only to the danger of injury by falling chucks of ice from the top of the deck, but also from falling off the runway if the car is accidentally moved.

It is, therefore, one of the primary objects of the present invention'to not only overcome the dangers and disadvantages hereinab'ove pointed out, but also to provide a simple and efficient portable type light weight safety servicing'platform which will efficiently expedite the operation of top icing.

"a novel and improved'servicin'g platform which not only has a safety canopy positioned overhead to protect the operator mounted on the platform, but one "which is 'so constructed so that the same can be suspended "from the doors at'afixed position'with' respect'to the top ofthe car, regardless of the variation of the width or height of the'doo'r openings.

-Our invention also contemplates the use of able hinges i5.

means on the safety platform for "attaching and supporting the discharge end of the hose or nozzle extending from the crusher and slinger so as to lessen the burden of the operator occasioned by th whipping action of the rapidly discharging These and other objects are accomplished by providing a construction and an arrangement of the various parts in the manner hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is aside elevational view of a fragmentary portion of a refrigerator car showing the manner in which our improved type ofsafety platform is attached and suspended from the top edge of the open doors of the car;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on the line'2'2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of our improved portable safety platform.

.In illustrating one form of our invention, we have shown the same in connection with .a conventional form of refrigerator car, a fragmentary portion of which is disclosed in the drawings and generally indicated by the reference character I 0. The car in this instance is provided with the usual top H and floor or bottom I2. Located in the center of the car It is a rectangular opening is to the opposite vertical edges of which are oppositely disposed doors M which are pivoted to the opposite edges of the opening 1.3 .b suit- I The cargo or freight located within the car, usually of .a perishable nature, is mounted within boxes or crates,.,generally indicated by the reference character it.

Our improved safety service platform, indicated generally by the reference character ll, comprises a substantially rectangular frame I? and three longitudinally extending cross braces or supplemental frame members it. Mounted on the top surface of this frame structure is a cross mesh 'wire l9 which forms in effect the platform orstation for the operator. *Secured to the outer andoppositecorners of the platform by means ofangle brackets or plates 28 are vertically and upwardly extending pipes or posts 2! Secured to the intermediateportions of them:-

The opposite posts 2| and 23 are reinforced or braced'by diagonally extending pipes M which have their lower ends secured to the corner brackets'.20 and their upper ends, as shown at 25, secured or welded to the upper ends of the pipes or posts 23. Extending through each of the diagonal braces 24 and having their opposite ends secured to the opposite pairs of posts 2! and 23, are supplemental bars or pipes 26 which perform the function of hand rails and reinforcing horizontal cross bars. Mounted on the upper ends of the posts 2| and 23 and positioned vertically over the platform I! so as to protect the operator on the platform, is our improved shield or canopy generally indicated by the reference character 21. This shield or canopy 21 is preferably made of galvanized sheet iron to form the roof and comprises two oppositely inclined surfaces, as shown at 28, and is supported at its opposite ends by longitudinally extending pipes or tubings 29, which in turn, have their opposite ends secured to the upper ends of the adjacent vertical posts or pipes 21 and 23. The center portion of the roof 28 is supported on a similar tubular member 30. Supplemental rods 31 support the intermediate portions of the roof 28 as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The pipe 30 and supplemental rods 3| have their opposite ends secured in position by welding or otherwise, to a front head piece 32 and a rear head piece 33. The opposite ends of the front head piece 32 has depending arms as shown at 34 which, in turn, are secured to the opposite vertical tubing members or posts 2|. The rear head piece 33 has similarly positioned downwardly projecting arms 35 which are welded or otherwise secured to the opposite rear posts or pipes 23. The rear head piece 33 has outwardly and oppositely projecting arms as shown at 36. The outer ends of these arms 36 are bent horizontally, as shown at 31, thence vertically as shown at 38, so as to form in effect hook-like portions to engage and rest upon the upper edges 39 of each of the opposite doors M of the refrigerator car. The opposite arms I6 are reinforced or braced by diagonal braces 39. The position of these hooks 38 with respect to the platform and overhead canopy is such that the same may be suspended adjacent to and extend into the opening [3 of the car. The arrangement f the hooks are such that the platform may be suspended from the tops of the doors even where there is a variation in the Width of the opening and the doors. The oppositely projecting arms 36 are reinforced by oppositely disposed reinforcing angle members 40.

The safety platform is suspended and held in proper position with respect to the opening l3 in the car ID by oppositely disposed vertically depending legs or arms 41 which are secured to the opposite sides of the frame I? and are braced by suitable diagonal braces 42. The safety or guard chain 43 is connected to one of the vertical posts 2| and detachably connected by a hook and eye as shown at 44 to the opposite post 2|. A further safety for the operator is provided and includes hooks 46 secured to the opposite vertical posts 23 for attaching the free end 44' of the slinger hose (shown in broken line in Fig. 3 of the drawings) by means of an eye 45' attached to a ring or band 46 embracing and secured to the hose. This attachment of the hose to the hook 46 permits the operator to direct or swing the nozzle in any direction on the hook for top icing so as to relieve the operator of the burden caused by the whipping action on the hose occasioned by the rapidly discharging ice through the hose.

Summarizing the advantages and functions of operation of our improved portable safety platform for the servicing or top-icing of refrigerator cars, it will be readily seen that by providing the operators platform with a shielding canopy into a portable unit and detachably suspending the same from the doors of the car, that we have not only guarded the operator from possible injury from falling chunks of ice from the docks above, but have also insured him against injury in the event the car should be accidentally moved while the operator is on the platform, since the platform in this instance is wholly supported by the doors of the car and free of the adjacent clock. It will be further noted that by constructing the service platform and protecting shield or canopy into a unitary structure of light weight material, the same may be easily detached from the top edges of the opposite doors and transferred to the doors of the next adjacent car. When the oppositely disposed hooks 38 of the safety unit are properly placed upon the top edges of the opened doors, the downwardly projecting legs 4| are adapted to rest against the outer surface of the frame or floor I2 of the car so as to project a portion of the platform into the opening of the car in the manner disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, When thus suspended the unit forms a shielded station for the operator to perform the function of topicing the perishable goods within the refrigerator car without fear of injury.

While in the above specification we have described one embodiment which our invention may assume in practice, it will, of course, be understood that the same is capable of modification and that modification may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the following claims.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An ice servicing support having an operator station thereon for top icing refrigerator cars through the opened doors thereof, a main frame, an operators platform carried by said main frame, upwardly extending posts secured to said main frame, a shield extending over said platform and secured to said posts, hook portions carried by said shield and adapted to engage said doors, and downwardly projecting arms carried by said main frame engageable with said car 1for sustaining said platform in horizontal posiion.

2. An ice servicing support for a refrigerator car having swinging doors, said support including a main frame, a platform carried by said frame, oppositely disposed vertically extending posts secured to said main frame, an oppositely inclined roof ext-ending over said platform and secured to the upper ends of said posts, a rear head plate secured to said roof and certain of said posts, and hook portions formed on the outer ends of said plate and adapted to engage the upper edges of said doors for suspending said support from said doors.

3. An ice servicing support for a refrigerator car having swinging doors, said support including a main frame, a platform carried by said frame, oppositely disposed vertically extending posts secured to said main frame, an oppositely inclined roof extending over said platform and secured to the upper ends of said posts, a rear head plate secured to said roof and certain of said posts, hook portions formed on the outer ends of said plate and adapted to engage the upper edges of said doors, and depending arms secured to said main frame and engageable with said car for sustaining said platform in a horizontal position on said doors.

4. An ice servicing support for a refrigerator car having swinging doors, said support including an operators main frame, a platform carried by said frame, oppositely disposed vertically extending posts secured to said main frame, an oppositely inclined roof extending over said platform and secured to the upper ends of said posts, a rear head plate secured to said roof and certain of said posts, said plate having oppositely and outwardly projecting arms, hook portions formed on the outer ends of said arms and engageable with the upper edges of the opposite doors, and depending arms carried by said frame and engageable with said car for sustaining said platform in a horizontal position on said doors.

HAROLD O. McLAIN. ALBERT L. BLATTI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Link Belt Company pamphlet 1361. Link Belt Company pamphlet 1461. 

